Schedule for conclave of 115 cardinals to choose new pope:
Sunday, April 17
- The 115 cardinals taking part in the conclave will move into the Domus Sanctae Marthae hotel in the afternoon and will have dinner together.
Monday, April 18
- 10 a.m. (4 a.m. EDT): The cardinals celebrate a morning Mass.
- 4:30 p.m. (10:30 a.m. EDT): Cardinals […]
‘Behind the thick oak doors of the Sistine Chapel, the cardinals of the Roman Catholic Church will do more than pick the next pope. Their deliberations - which begin Monday - also serve as a critical judgment on what the faith needs most as pressures close in from all directions.
The cardinals often mentioned as possible […]
‘One papal election held during a sizzling Roman summer had cardinals collapsing of dehydration and heart attacks. The top candidate eventually died, and the pope who emerged from a sweaty inferno worthy of Dante survived only 2 1/2 weeks.
Another vote dragged on for more than three years. It might have gone longer had exasperated citizens […]
‘The lobby looks a bit like a convention center, with floors of white marble and potted plants. Cold and impersonal perhaps, but it’s a big step up from the cramped quarters in the Apostolic Palace where previous conclaves were held.
The Vatican released a videotape Monday illuminating the closed world the cardinals will live in when […]
‘The College of Cardinals on Wednesday set April 18 as the date for the start of its historic secret vote in the Sistine Chapel to elect a new pope.
Vatican spokesman Joaquin Navarro-Valls also said the late Pope John Paul did not release the name of a cardinal previous reports said had been secretly appointed by […]
‘The College of Cardinals on Wednesday set April 18 as the date for the historic start of the conclave to elect a successor to Pope John Paul II, as the Vatican made final arrangements for the funeral expected to draw millions of pilgrims and world leaders to Rome.
The decision came after the cardinals read John […]
‘More than a third of the College of Cardinals won’t be balloting for the next pope.
Pope John Paul II’s 1996 decree that set out the rules for papal elections retained a radical change - initiated by Paul VI in 1967 - that bars all cardinals who have reached age 80 from the conclave.
The college currently […]
‘Roman Catholic cardinals met on Monday for the first time since Pope John Paul‘s death to organize a funeral expected to draw the greatest tide of pilgrims and heads of state to the Vatican in its history.
The body of Pope John Paul, who died on Saturday ending the third-longest pontificate in history, […]
‘Conclaves have a checkered, colorful past that belies the air of sanctity and solemnity surrounding modern papal elections.
The first time cardinals were locked up until they elected a pope was in 1241. The Holy See was in a state of virtual war with the German emperor, Frederick II, who held two of the 12 “princes […]
‘The Vatican’s Council of cardinals will convene on Monday to begin discussing the date for Pope John Paul II’s funeral, as well as his possible successors.
There are 120 cardinals under the age of 80 that are eligible to vote for the next pope.
In order to pass, the nominee must receive two thirds, plus one, of […]
‘From every corner of the world, the red-robed “princes” of the Roman Catholic Church headed toward the Vatican on Saturday to be near Pope John Paul II and prepare for the secret duty of gathering in the Sistine Chapel to elect the next pontiff.
It’s a process steeped in centuries-old rituals and arcane traditions such as […]